complete lack of consideration

We have entered the dog days of summer. I’m not talking about the weather. I’m talking about the time of year when my kids start fighting like cats and dogs. They’ve been out of school for more than a month. There is more than a month before school starts again. And while they see other friends – they see far more of each other than at any other time during the year. And they are sick of each other.

When one walks in a room where another child is – the reaction is instant yelling. They don’t even wait to see what the other kid wants, they just start yelling. They are rude. They are short-tempered. They will resort to pushing/kicking/punching/pinching/slugging at a moment’s notice. They refuse to listen politely to anything that anyone has to say. In fact, they seem to have lost the ability to listen to anyone at all. I am astounded at the complete lack of consideration they can have for each other.

I have gotten to the point where I don’t even give warnings anymore. When I catch one of them in this appalling behavior they are instantly removed from the situation – some sort of time-out or revoking of privilege is happening in my house approx every 9 minutes.

Oh sure… they play nicely sometimes. I take them all sorts of places and for the most part they can behave like civilized beings. But within the walls of this house? It’s becoming like Lord of the Flies around here. I’m about ready to lock them all in a room and not let them out until they come to some sort of peaceful resolution.

And while they are in there – I’m going to mix myself a very stiff drink… a whole pitcher of them.